Shostakovich's 15th: Rebellion and Reckoning

Item details

Date

Friday, Dec 5, 2025 10:30AM

Name

Shostakovich's 15th - Rebellion and Reckoning

Description

📍 This concert takes place at Powell Hall
🕒 1 hour, 45 minutes (including intermission)

John Storgårds, conductor
Kian Soltani, cello (SLSO debut)

Clara Wieck Schumann / orch. Benjamin de Murashkin Three Romances (First SLSO performances)
Joseph Haydn Cello Concerto in C major
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 15

Clara Schumann’s Three Romances are wistful and intimate, gracefully opening this concert led by frequent SLSO guest conductor John Storgårds. Haydn’s Cello Concerto, though exceptionally difficult to master, is leisurely and elegant. Cellist Kian Soltani, whose emotional connection with audiences has captivated many, makes his St. Louis debut. Then, a musical kaleidoscope takes shape in Shostakovich’s final symphony, a blend of the composer’s memories, transformed into an epic symphonic memoir.

A few things to know:

• Kian Soltani’s fascination with film music led him to record a solo album titled Cello Unlimited in which he reimagines film scores using only the expressive capabilities of the cello. The recording received the Innovative Listening Experience Award at the 2022 Opus Klassic Awards.
• When Shostakovich set out to write his Symphony No. 15, he first envisioned it as a celebratory gift to himself on his 65th birthday. Things quickly turned upside down when he found himself in a hospital bed, struggling with mental and physical ailments that would make this symphony his last.
• Throughout his 15th Symphony, Shostakovich incorporates fragments of many of his own compositions as well as musical quotes from Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, and multiple Mahler symphonies.

Coffee Concert Series Supported by EverTrue
Complimentary refreshments courtesy of Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. and Eddie’s Southtown Donuts

Tickets are currently available for subscribers. Curated Series and Compose Your Own subscriptions are on sale now.